Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

Aug 1 2017

Fun Facts About The 2017 Epcot International Food And Wine Festival

Can you believe that later this month the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival kicks off once again? Feeling a little hungry and extremely excited about my upcoming trip to this year’s event, I thought it might be entertaining to take a look at some “Fun Facts” about the mouth-watering festivities coming up this fall. Here’s some tantalizing trivia about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to get you in the spirit courtesy of Disney:

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival ©DisneyWalt Disney World Resort guests are invited to join the fun when the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival turns 22 from August 31 – November 13, 2017.  On October 1, Epcot will celebrate its 35th anniversary, and this year’s festival will feature, for the first time, 35 global dine-around marketplaces. Guests will discover delicious ethnic and specialty cuisine, refreshing new beverages and more concerts and musical acts than ever.

The record 75-day festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park will include five new Future World marketplaces featuring fresh culinary concepts to pair with select wines, beers, cocktails and other beverages.  ABC’s Emmy Award-winning lifestyle series, “The Chew,” will broadcast from the festival for the third year and will again showcase dishes inspired by “The Chew” show hosts. The festival is believed to be the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world.

Here are some fun facts about the 22nd festival celebration.

  • Now 75 days long, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival began in 1996 with a first run of 30 days
  • At the 2017 festival, 35 global marketplaces will include five new marketplaces to help celebrate 35 years of Epcot –they include Active Eats, Coastal Eats, Flavors from Fire and Light Lab, all expanding into the park’s Future World area. The Almond Orchard, hosted by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, is the fifth new marketplace located along the World Showcase promenade
  • Producers of ABC’s “The Chew” will tape 5 episodes of the show before 5 festival guest audiences numbering in the hundreds for each show October 4 – 6 against a backdrop of the park’s iconic Spaceship Earth
  • The 22nd festival will feature 39 new marketplace dishes and 65 new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders
  • This year, more than 50 domestic and international wines will be offered at global marketplaces
  • More than 50 wineries and more than 35 breweries from around the world, including local craft beer operations, will be represented at festival marketplaces
  • The new “Disney Food and Wine Festivals Coast to Coast Cookbook” by Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs features 50 irresistible recipes, 26 recipes from the Epcot festival global marketplaces and 24 from Disney’s California Adventure
  • 5 Party for the Senses grand tastings will take place at World Showplace during the festival run. In all, the festival will feature 177 premium events ranging from Signature Dinners and Food & Wine Pairings to “What’s Cookin’ With” and additional festival events in World Showcase pavilions and Walt Disney World resorts
  • Guest chefs and Disney chefs numbering 197 will present culinary demonstrations and will cook for festival events
  • Celebrity chefs and visiting culinarians from 11 countries and 23 U.S. states will participate in the festival at culinary demos, book signings, and special tasting events and dinners
  • 379 culinary demos, beverage and interactive seminars will take place during the 75-day festival. That’s equal to more than 6,360 hours of scheduled seminars at the Festival Center. These include the fun-filled Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It! interactive events, plus more
  • During Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak festival scavenger hunt, guests can help Remy scour the park for the ingredients to make his signature dish, ratatouille. Along the way, they’ll find 15 Remy statuettes hidden throughout World Showcase and the global marketplaces.  Guests can purchase their map and stickers at select merchandise locations, then take their completed maps to Disney Traders at the entrance to World Showcase or World Traveler at International Gateway to choose a new surprise, compliments of Chef Remy
  • 225 Eat to the Beat concerts will be performed; 11 musical acts will appear for the first time at this year’s festival featuring entertainment ranging from rock and soul to funk and blues
  • The Festival Passport (previously called the Marketplace Discovery Passport) was introduced in 2010 for the 15th annual festival; today, the complimentary passport will feature pages with all 35 festival marketplaces and other outdoor food and beverage locations with special festival offerings such as Refreshment Cool Post, Fife & Drum Tavern and Refreshment Port
  • More than 1,200 fireworks will explode each night over World Showcase Lagoon in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth nightime spectacular
  • 100,000-plus desserts, including Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts (new at Hawaii) and Sweet Olive Oil Cake with Powdered Sugar and Lemon Curd (new at Spain), are expected to be served
  • In 1997, during the festival’s second year, festival planners introduced the first Grand Tasting culinary extravaganza; in 2002, the event was renamed and moved to World Showplace as Party for the Senses, now featuring dozens of food and beverage stations and, in 2017, confirmed seating for all guests plus new and different themed entertainment and surprises for each event

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Will you be going to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival this year?
What are you most looking forward to? Please leave a comment!

Jul 31 2017

Try These New Summertime Eats And Drinks At Disney Springs

Maybe it’s because it’s lunch time as I write this or maybe it’s because these pictures are incredible, either way I’m ready to try some of these delicious new summertime eats and drinks that are being offered for a limited time from some of the top spots around Disney Springs. If you weren’t hungry or needing an icy cold drink before, you will be soon!

Dockside Margaritas

First up, and one of my personal favorites, Dockside Margaritas. This fun waterfront location is a perfect stop for live music (from about noon until 10:15pm nightly) and ice cold drinks. Of course they have the classic margaritas and Disney specialty drinks, but on Thursdays from now through September 28, you can get some of the famous Pleasure Island cocktails including Kungaloosh from Adventurer’s Club and Bell Bottom from 8 Trax for only $9 each (non-alcoholic only $5 each).

The BOATHOUSE

The BOATHOUSE is another gorgeous waterfront spot for a quick drink or a full meal. This summer, in addition to their long list of cold drinks, they’ve added three new dishes. There are two new entrees to try…an herb-marinated grilled shrimp with smoked jalapeño grits, cornbread and house made jalapeño jelly and a house-smoked beef brisket au jus sandwich with spicy giardineria. If you still have room, they’ve got you covered with a coconut bread pudding souffle with roasted pineapple and rum caramel sauce for dessert.

B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co.

If you’re looking for a quick bite, head on over to the B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. kiosk and try their new Latin Dog, topped with chipotle mayo, corn salsa and queso fundido or if you’re feeling indecisive, get their 3 Little Pigs Trio that includes Reuben, bacon-wrapped with black bean salsa, and chili cheese topped mini sausages with a side of homemade pickles for only $10.39.

The Polite Pig

Growing up in Kansas City, you know any place that serves up barbecue is going to be high on my list. The Polite Pig has added five new bourbon flights this summer, along with a BBQ cheddar sausage hoagie and a mouth-watering double layer chocolate cake.

STK Orlando

Stop by STK Orlando to take advantage of their new happy hour menu, available Monday through Friday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, that includes small bites such as BLT bruschetta or BBQ rib fingers for only $6 each along with beer and well drinks for $4.

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

Last but definitely not least, we have Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. With so many new summertime additions on this menu including Ham, Ham & Jam, three cheddar drop biscuits with ham, blackberry fig jam and pimento cheese, a hangar steak with southern succotash, a watermelon salad with heirloom tomatoes, crispy ham, feta cheese and candied pecans, and a Chef Art Burger with Art’s special secret sauce, you may have to hit this place more than once.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

What do you think of these new summertime menu additions?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Jul 30 2017

Disney World Enthusiast Weekly Round Up July 30, 2017

Here’s the Disney World Enthusiast Weekly Round Up for July 30, 2017!

Latest Disney World Enthusiast Articles

Tip Of The Week

Celebration ButtonsIf you are celebrating something during your Walt Disney World vacation, be sure to stop by Guest Services at any of the theme parks or at the front desk of your Disney resort hotel to pick up a celebration button. While the options change from time to time, there are currently six different types of buttons available: 1st Visit, Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday, Happily Ever After, Family Reunion, and I’m Celebrating. The buttons are fun to wear, because cast members and guests alike often stop you to say “Happy Birthday!” or “Congratulations!”

Tree of LifeDisney Did You Know

Disney’s Animal Kingdom encompasses 403 acres, the company’s biggest theme park. The park’s centerpiece is The Tree of Life, 14 stories high and 50 feet wide at its trunk.

Walt’s Words

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”  

 

Behind The Magic Podcast

Be sure to catch up on this week’s episodes when Zeek and Rachel discuss Disney news, rumors, and so much more.

  • D23 Pirates Panel
  • Mythical Movies

For more details about our podcast and to listen, please click here!

Magic Your BandFeatured Advertiser

Create your own unique look with a personalized Disney MagicBand Skin. Magic YOUR Band has a range of designs to choose from that you can use as-is or customize with your own text. And if you want to take it to the next level, you can even upload your own photos or images to fully personalize, customize, and decorate your MagicBand. With great discounts for multi-buys, why not create one for the whole family? For more information or to start customizing your own Magic YOUR Band Skin now, please click here.

501 WaysFeatured Book

The difference between an average and an outstanding Walt Disney World trip is in the details. Kristi Fredericks helps make your dream vacation a reality with her numerous tips and tricks to save money, time, and sanity while at the happiest place on earth in her new book “501 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Walt Disney World Vacation”. For more information, to read an excerpt, or to purchase, please click here.

Considering A Disney World Vacation

Book Your Disney VacationJennifer Hardy, a Disney Vacation Planner with Destinations in Florida, is the official travel partner of Disney World Enthusiast. She can help you book your next Disney vacation whether it is to Disney World, Disneyland, or aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Currently Jennifer has some incredible deals for discounted travel to Walt Disney World. For more information about Jennifer’s amazing and absolutely free services or to get a free no-obligation quote, please click here!

You’re Invited

Next Disney VacationJennifer Hardy, from Destinations in Florida, and I have teamed up to create a brand new Facebook Group called Next Disney Vacation! It is the perfect place to talk about your next Disney vacation, voice your opinions, ask your questions, get them answered, and share the magic. Whether it’s Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, or the Disney Cruise Line, Jennifer and I are ready to help. Everyday you’ll find posts, photos, trivia, tips, and more that we find all throughout the Disney Universe. If you’re counting the days until your next Disney vacation or just dreaming of one, we would love to have you join in the fun and conversation! Please click here to be a part of our group!

dwe logo small size white bkgdComing Up Next Week

Next week I’ll have some holiday information plus all of the latest Disney World news!

Have a wonderful week!

Jul 29 2017

Exploring Pandora – The World Of Avatar At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If you haven’t had a chance yet to check out the latest masterpiece in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar, you are in for a real treat during your next Walt Disney World vacation. I’ll admit it…I have never seen the film and I’m not really a fan of the sci-fi/fantasy genre typically anyway, but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this new land, even if I had no clue about the back story of what I was seeing. Walt Disney Imagineering, as always, does an extraordinary job of drawing guests in and immersing us in this intricate and magnificent world. Here’s everything you need to know about Pandora – The World of Avatar courtesy of Disney:

Pandora – The World of Avatar immerses guests in a mystical world of massive floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences. Fun and adventure await in this entirely new land found in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. Here guests explore an awesome alien landscape, encounter a larger-than-life Na’vi shaman and soar over Pandora on the back of a fearsome mountain banshee.

The largest addition in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora carries on the park’s tradition of celebrating the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure and a personal call to action.

Based on Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s record-breaking box-office hit, AVATAR, the new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the Na’vi has ended. The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.

Pandora – The World of Avatar is a creative collaboration of Walt Disney Imagineering, Cameron and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment.

“We are taking our guests on a journey to this world in an experience that’s as realistic and immersive as possible,” says Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “In the movie, the world of Pandora is a setting for the action and characters whose story we follow. Here, guests are the primary characters immersed in an extremely vivid, authentic experience.”

Guests to Disney’s Animal Kingdom cross the park’s Discovery River onto Pandora – The World of Avatar and continue along a winding rainforest path for their first glimpse of the land’s iconic “floating mountains.”

“When guests come across the bridge, they are transferred light-years away, to the Alpha-Centauri solar system and Pandora,” says Jon Landau, AVATAR producer, Lightstorm Entertainment. “It’s an otherworldly, fully themed experience.”

As guests explore the verdant terrain sprawling beneath mountains that appear to float in the sky, they see waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into meandering streams and pools, and they discover two thrilling new expeditions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.

Avatar Flight of Passage launches each guest on an exhilarating, wind-in-your-face experience on a winged mountain banshee over the awe-inspiring world of Pandora. Guests will actually feel the banshee breathe beneath them as they soar through the forest and past floating mountains. What was a rite of passage for Na’vi in Cameron’s film becomes a multisensory experience for guests seeking the ultimate adventure – an encounter with the most feared predator of Pandora, the Great Leonopteryx.

On the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey, guests travel down a sacred river deep into a bioluminescent rainforest. Aboard reed boats, they float past exotic glowing plants and Pandoran creatures into the midst of a musical Na’vi ceremony. The mystical journey culminates in an encounter with the breathtakingly realistic Na’vi Shaman of Songs who is deeply connected with Pandora’s life force and sends positive energy into the forest through her music.

“This is an attraction that the entire family can enjoy,” Rohde says. “We put you into a magical experience that comes to life through the bioluminescence, the plant and animal activity and the shaman’s music. There’s a wonderful harmony in the entire glowing scene during this lyrical, uplifting journey that builds to a really beautiful crescendo.”

In addition to the bioluminescent plants of Pandora, with species names like Spiny Whip, Dapophet and Vein Pod, other wonders of the land include the creatures that guests encounter and, in some cases, interact with.

“The landscape will be alive with creatures,” Rohde says. “We’re bringing to life everything from the largest creature you might encounter to the most microscopic. Animals will appear out of the underbrush – big Pandoran animals will appear at the edge of the forest, and you’ll hear the very complicated calls they issue back and forth.”

The thriving Pandoran landscape reinforces messages intrinsic to Disney’s Animal Kingdom such as transformation through adventure and conservation and stewardship. A similar value system underlies the AVATAR film, Landau says, and he’s hopeful guests are inspired to find meaning in their expedition through Pandora.

The artful storytelling on Pandora continues as guests stop for sustenance at the land’s Satu’li Canteen (pronounced “Sa-too-lee”), a Quonset-hut-style building with a spacious dining area that pays tribute to the Na’vi and their culture with special décor. The menu at this fast-casual restaurant is inspired by the healthful bounty of Pandora – wholesome grains, fresh vegetables, and hearty proteins. Guests can also grab a drink at nearby Pongu Pongu, where a friendly expat serves out-of-this-world beverages including a bioluminescent frozen cocktail and indigenous beers. There’s even a sweet snack that guests won’t find elsewhere.

Windtraders is a shopper’s delight where guests can choose from Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits and more.

The creative team employed exhaustive research to develop the realistic appearance of Pandora, a fictional exoplanetary moon mined by humans in Cameron’s movie. Set a generation after a great conflict, the Na’vi and humans are at peace, and the land is experiencing a rebirth. Pandora now welcomes Disney guests as eco-tourists.

Since 2012, Walt Disney Imagineering and Lightstorm Entertainment have collaborated to imagine and create Pandora through the talents of a team of designers, artists, sculptors, structural engineers, robotic technicians and a host of other professionals. The team traveled to rainforests and tribal areas and worked with artisans, weavers and carvers, including Bali artisans who contributed works to Discovery Island when it opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998.

Authenticity and realism were drivers in the creation of Pandora, and the result truly is a world beyond belief.

“The attractions have very deliberate emotional moments crafted into them, the way a good story does, the way a good film does.” Rohde says. “It’s not as simple as just coming to a place that looks realistic. It’s a place that’s been deliberately imbued with the emotions of awe, of wonder, of respect, of harmony.”

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you explored Pandora – The World of Avatar yet?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Jul 28 2017

Dining In Pandora – The World Of Avatar At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If waiting in the long lines for Flight Of Passage or Na’vi River Journey in Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom gets you hungry, you’re in luck! Disney has created two additional dining and drinking spots for guests to enjoy while touring the new land. Here’s everything you need to know about Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu courtesy of Disney:

Not only can you explore like a Na’vi and talk like a Na’vi – you can eat like a Na’vi, too, on Pandora – The World of Avatar.

Dining Na’vi-style is at the heart of Satu’li Canteen, the fast-casual restaurant in the new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The canteen calls out the friendship and cultural kinship that exists between the humans on Pandora and the indigenous Na’vi.

“The setting of Pandora – The World of Avatar is long after the Na’vi and the humans have reconciled their conflict, and we are invited as guests to visit Pandora,” said Stefan Hellwig, executive creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Satu’li (Sa-too-lee) Canteen is the land’s restaurant, with a design inspired by bases set up on Pandora by the Resources Development Administration (RDA) in the blockbuster “AVATAR” film. Once the main mess hall of the RDA base in the Valley of Mo’ara, the canteen is now owned and operated by the Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) tour company and has been redesigned into a beautiful museum-like dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The interior has been transformed with colorful Na’vi items filling the walls and hanging from the ceiling – hand-woven tapestries, natural Pandoran elements and cooking tools decorate the interior.

Surprising Twist on Familiar Flavors

Satu’li Canteen combines creativity and approachable flavors in a menu inspired by the healthful bounty on Pandora, with wholesome grains, fresh vegetables and hearty proteins. An on-stage grill is a prominent feature in the colorful dining room, “bringing all five senses into play,” said Ed Wronski, director, culinary development for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.

Fast-casual Satu’li Canteen offers bowls that allow diners to customize their meal. Diners start with a base of quinoa and vegetable salad; red and sweet potato hash; mixed whole-grain and rice or romaine and kale salad. Next is either wood-grilled chicken, slow-roasted beef, sustainable fish or chili-spiced fried tofu. And the bowl is finished with charred onion chimichurri, black bean vinaigrette or creamy herb dressing.

“This is one of our first fast-casual restaurants that gives guests the ability to customize their meal,” said Wronski. “We played with the theme of Avatar, and ended up with the bowl concept that is healthful, lighter and with plant-based ingredients to tie back to the World of Avatar.” The guiding principle, he said, was to “balance creativity with dishes that are approachable.”

The menu also offers steamed “pods” – bao buns with either cheeseburger ingredients or vegetable curry served with root vegetable chips and crunchy vegetable slaw.

For little ones, there’s an option of grilled chicken or beef, fish or tofu with greens or rice; a hot dog wrapped in Parker House dough; cheese quesadilla, or a steamed “pod” (cheeseburger bao bun).

Dessert is Blueberry Cheesecake with Passion Fruit Curd or Chocolate Cake with a Crunchy Cookie Layer, Banana Cream and Goji Berries.

Satu’li Canteen offers draft beers, including Avatar Private Label Green Ale and Avatar Private Label Amber Ale; Pandoran blend sangria; wine on tap, including Banshee Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast); Banshee Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast), and a non-alcoholic blend of tropical juices served in a souvenir cup with a removable, playable pan flute.

Satu’li Canteen is also the first Disney restaurant to offer Mobile Order, a new convenient option to order and pay for meals on-the-go using the My Disney Experience app. The service also enables guests to bypass the queue to order when they arrive at the restaurant. Using the app, guests can select menu items, customize their orders and pre-pay for their meals. When they arrive at the restaurant they will tap an “I’m here” button in the app, which will notify the kitchen to prepare the meal. When their meals are ready, guests will be alerted through the app to pick up them up at a designated window. Additional fast-casual and quick-service restaurants will begin to offer Mobile Order later this year. Disney Dining Plan is accepted but Mobile Order only accepts credit cards.

Satu’li Canteen offers 330 seats with an additional 190 seats outside.

Pongu Pongu Kiosk

 Adjacent to Satu’li Canteen is Pongu Pongu, Pandora’s specialty beverage kiosk. “Pongu Pongu” means “party party” and this kiosk, as the story goes, was built by a human who befriended the local Na’vi clan and built a place to gather and socialize. The name came from all the “wild and memorable times” Na’vi and humans had together there.

The signature drink is the Frozen Nectar (frozen limeade with layered flavors of Granny Smith Apple and Desert Pear topped with bursting mango boba balls) that glows with bioluminescent colors reminiscent of Pandora’s flora. There’s also a Screaming Banshee Margarita and Avatar Private Label Ale. Drinks can be purchased in a tiki-inspired mug with an Avatar “juju” light-up cube.

For sweet snacking, Lumpia (loom-pee-ah), a pineapple-cream cheese spring roll, is also on the menu.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you dined in Pandora – The World of Avatar yet?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!